Toy rowing boat and actuating mechanism

ABSTRACT

A TOY BOAT IS PROVIDED WITH A TOY MAN AND OARS ACTUATED TO ROW THE BOAT. IN OPERATION THE MAN&#39;&#39;S BODY MOVES BACK AND FORTH AND SLIGHTLY UP AND DOWN WITH A ROWING MOTION, HIS LEGS MOVING COMPARABLY. AS A RESULT THE MAN&#39;&#39;S HANDS, HOLDING THE OARS, CAUSING THEM TO MOVE IN AN OSCILLATORY, ELLIPTICAL FASHION TO MOVE THE BOAT FORWARD. THE MOTION OF THE MAN&#39;&#39;S BODY IS CAUSED BY AN ECCENTRICALLY OPERATED LINKAGE WITHIN THE BOAT. THE BOAT IS STEERED BY MOVING THE OPERATION MECHANISM LATERALLY TO MOVE THE CENTER OF GRAVITY AND SO INCLINE THE BOAT TO ONE SIDE OF THE OTHER. THIS WILL CAUSE THE OAR ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER OF THE BOAT TO DIP MORE DEEPLY INTO THE WATER. THE ACTUATING MECHANISM MAY BE USED TO ANIMATE OTHER TOYS REQUIRING A SIMILAR OSCILLATORY, ELLIPTICAL MOTION.

Oct. 19, 1971 P. M. TOMARO TOY ROWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 19. 1969 5 Sheets-Shoot 1 F l G. l

R O T N E V N PATRICK M. TOMARO BY I Wm YDJWJMNI vw mflu a, ATTORNEYS F l G. 2

Oct. 19, 1971 P. M. TOMARO TOY ROWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 19. 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

FIG. 5

O R A m RM 0 E m N E M m m VKU mmiw A R T P VI 1971 P. M. TOMARO TOY ROWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 19, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet S FIG. 4

FIG. 6

INVENTOR PATRICK M. TOMARO B [P Q 1 AT'i'ORNEYS Oct. 19,1971 P. M. TOMARO TO Y RQWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 19. 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet t FIG. 7

FIG. 8

INVENTOR PATRICK M. TOMARO 5W) PMMLQM 4 ATTOR EYS Oct. 19, 1971 p, TQMARQ 3,613,297

TOY ROWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 19, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.IO

INVENTOR PATRICK M. TOMARO W ML 4% W ATTQ NEYS United States Patent Otfice 3,613,297 TOY ROWING BOAT AND ACTUATING MECHANISM Patrick M. Tomaro, Maplewood, N.J., assignor to Remco Industries, Inc Harrison, NJ. Filed Sept. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 859,363 Int. Cl. A63h 23/04 US. CI. 46-23 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy boat is provided with a toy man and oars actuated to row the boat. In operation the mans body moves back and forth and slightly up and down with a rowing motion, his legs moving comparably. As a result the mans hands, holding the oars, cause them to move in an oscillatory, elliptical fashion to move the boat forward. The motion of the mans body is caused by an eccentrically operated linkage within the boat. The boat is steered by moving the operating mechanism laterally to move the center of gravity and so incline the boat to one side of the other. This will cause the oar on one side or the other of the boat to dip more deeply into the water. The actuating mechanism may be used to animate other toys requiring a similar oscillatory, elliptical motion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A small boat capable of floating is designed to carry a man who moves oars in a rowing motion. The mans body leans forwardly and backwardly repetitively like a rowing figure. His legs slide along backwardly and forwardly moved by the body so appear to extend and contract as though on a sliding rowing seat. The body also moves upwardly and downwardly slightly.

The arms of the man are fixed to the body and, as a result of the body motion, the hands oscillate back and forth, and up and down, in a substantially elliptical motion. They hold the ends of oars, which are pivoted in the sides (gunwales) of the boat, and so, as the hands move in their small ellipse, the outward ends of the oars, because of the pivot, have a large elliptical motion. This is similar to the normal elliptical motion of oars in an actual boat by which the oars are moved backward while in the water and forward while removed from the water.

The boat may be tilted to one side or the other by lateral movement of some of the weight within the boat. This is most readily accomplished by having the actuating mechanism mounted on a vertical pivot so that it can be swung from one side to the other. This tilting causes one oar to go more deeply into the water and so to have a greater pulling effect. This causes the boat to turn. Thus the boat would turn in a direction away from the angle in which it is tilted.

The mechanism to accomplish the motion of the man, and so the rowing, will be described in more detail below. In essence, it includes a battery, electrical motor and switch operating a gear train which in turn moves an cecentrically positioned pin on a rocker disc attached to a crank or rocker arm. The other end of the rocker arm moves back and forth in a slightly inclined slot in the motor frame, the rocker arm extends integrally unwardly to form a mans body. This crank arm eccentric motion creates a forward and back rocking of the mans body. Acting in conjunction with the frame slot it causes a slight raising and lowering of the mans body and backward and forward motion. The totality of these motions creates an elliptical motion of the mans hands having a greater length in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. This, in turn, is translated to the oars by the mans hands and causes that kind of motion there.

3513,29? Patented Oct. 19, 1971 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings include:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the general construction of the toy boat and rowing figure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the boat with the man and the oars to show the motion of the oars in response to motion of the man.

. FIG. 3 is a view from the stern of the boat showing the man holding the oars in two different positions so that the rowing may be depicted.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the relation between the arm of the man, the oar and the gunwale of the boat.

FIG. 5 is another end view of the boat showing how tilting of the boat, through weight adjustment, causes one oar to penetrate the water more deeply than the other and so can result in the turning motion.

FIG. 6 is a view of the bottom portion of the boat with the bottom removed to show the mechanical construction within the boat.

'FIGS. 7 and 8 are partial side views with the hull of the boat removed to show the crank arm eccentric linkage and its relationship to the man and to the position of the oars.

FIG. 9 is a cutaway perspective view showing the connection between the eccentric crank arm and the mans body and, in particular, how the motion of the man can serve to also move the legs. In this view the arms and the side of the boat have been removed.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the boat with the man removed to show how the weight of the mechanism can be shifted within the hull of the boat in order to tilt the boat for the purpose of steering.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows the toy of my invention in a broad perspective view. It includes the boat 1 having a figure of a man 2 doing the rowing (with separately connected legs 3). The mans arms 4 are fixed to the body so they cannot move. They hold oars 5 and 6.

Each of the oars is loosely connected to the hands of the man and is pivoted along the edge or gunwale of the boat, thus the upper end 10 of oar 5 is held by hand 11 and is pivotally connected by pivot 12 in the gunwale of the boat 14. The outer end or blade 15 of the oar moves in and out of the water in accordance with the motion of hand 11 of man 2.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show the structure visible to the eye that provides the motion of the oar and so the rowing of the boat. This includes the body of the man with the affixed arms 4 holding the oars 5 and 6, each of which is in pivot 12 in its respective side of the boat.

For the boat to be rowed, the oars must be depressed and in the water as they are pushed backwards and elevated and out of the water as they are pushed forward. This requires a comparable but opposite motion on the part of the man because the oars are pivoted at oar locks or pivot points 12. Therefore, the motion of the man must be such as to impart an opposite motion to the inner ends 10 of the oars. When the blades of the oars are in the water being pushed backwards, the hands holding inner ends of the oars must be upward and moving forward; conversely, when the oars have reached the end of their stroke and are lifted out of the water to be moved forward, the hands must be in a lowered position moving backwards.

Consequently, the motion of the hands must be in a generally oscillatory elliptical form with the longer length of the ellipse on the horizontal. Since the hands and arms are rigidly affixed to the body, the body must provide that motion. In addition, for realism, the body must 3 appear to be moving back and forth as does a true oarsman.

The motion of the hands It and so the inner ends lb of the oars, then, move in the elliptical manner as shown by dotted line in FIG. 2. The outer ends of the oars move in a similar, but opposite elliptical pattern, as shown by dotted line 21.

It has been found that a simple rudder on the back of a boat like this will not be adequate to steer it against the pressure of the oars. Therefore, steering is accomplished by the tilting of the boat, as shown in FIG. 5. This puts one car deeper in the water than the other oar so that it exerts more pull; or puts one oar in the water with the other one out. This is illustrated in FIG. 5 in which the boat is angled or tilted such that the oar 5 is in the water and oar 6 is not in the water. Since the view of FIG. 5 is with the boat coming toward the observer, the greater action of oar 5 will tend to turn the boat toward its right, which is to the left as shown in the figure.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show in more detail structure that serves to cause the above-described motion of the oars man 2. FIG. 6 shows a view from the bottom of the boat, as though the hull has been removed and one was looking inside the boat. There are depicted a frame pivotally mounted at 26. The frame carries a motor 28, an associated gear train 29, a rocker disc or eccentric and a rocker or crank arm 31. Rocker disc 30 rotates as a result of the motion of the motor through the gear train 29. Disc 30 has on its surface an eccentrically positioned pin to which is connected rocker arm 31. Rocker arm or crank 31 passes through slot 37 and is affixed to the lower end 8 of the body 2, such that the body is simply an upward extension of rocker arm 31. Slot 37 is at a slight angle from the horizontal angling upward as one goes from the bow to the stern of the boat (see FIG. 7).

As stated, the lower end 8 of the mans body is firmly secured to rocker arm 31. As a result, the angle from the vertical of body portion 8 and so body 2 is dependent upon the angle of rocker arm 31. It can, therefore, be seen that as rocker disc 30 rotates (clockwise as shown in FIG. 7) rocker arm 31 will be raised and lowered slightly at the end 35. This will cause the body 2 to angle slightly forwardly and backwardly.

Similarly, motion of rocker disc 30 will cause rocker arm 31 to move back and forth in slot 37. This will cause lower body portion 8 and so body 2 to move for and aft in the boat and to be slightly raised as it moves toward the stern, being returned to its lowered position as it moves toward the bow.

The result of this angular movement of body 2 plus the raising and the lowering serves to create an elliptical motion, above described, in the hands 11.

FIG. 7 shows the structure with the pin 35 in its farthest most forward position, and so with the end of rocker arm 31 in the lowest most forward position in slot 37. FIG. 8 shows pin 35 in its most sternward position and so with rocker arm 31 farthest to the rear in slot 37 and in the most elevated position.

With this description, the positions of the rocker of the rocker arm 31 and so of the body can be readily followed. Starting with the position of rocker disc 30 in FIG. 7 and assuming that rocker disc 30 is moving in a clockwise position as shown in the figure, it will be observed that pin 35 moves upwardly and towards the right as it works to the position of FIG. 8. As pin 35 moves upwardly, this causes rocker arm 31 to pivot in slot 37 and so causc body 2 to lean toward the stern of the boat. As the motion continues, rocker arm 31 is moved to the right in the drawing causing body 2 to move to the right and to the stern and in due course the pin 35 starts dropping toward the position of FIG. 8 and so body 2 begins to change its angular position to lean more forwardly.

As rocker disc 30 continues to rotate from the position of FIG. 8 pin 35 will drop downwardly and move toward the forward (left hand position in the drawings) part of the boat. This will continue the angular motion of the body forward until pin 35 reaches its lowest point and also will cause rocker arm 31 to move forward (to the left) in slot 37 moving all of body 2 forward. By the time pin 35 has come all the way around to the position of FIG. 7, the body will then be sitting up straight and will be in its most forward position.

This motion results in an elliptical motion of the hands 11. as shown in FIG. 2, by ellipse 2t? and so, as above described, causes the oars to move in the necessary elliptical fashion to row the boat forward.

What has been referred to here as an elliptical motion or as an oscillatory elliptical motion need not be, and sometimes is not, a perfect ellipse. The pattern formed may. depending upon the exact layout, dimensions, and positioning of the rocker disc, rocker arm, and slot, vary somewhat. and may assume a shape more nearly oval or teardrop. The important thing is that the motion in the forward direction should be removed from that in the backward direction. This permits the oars to be in the water while moving in one direction and out of the water while moving in the other.

It should be noted that the structure used herein for creating this motion may also be useful as the actuator in other toys needing similar animation, such as a golfer with his swing, a baseball player, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 9, this motion from the rocking structure is transmitted through lower body portion 8 to body 2. This is done through the floor 40 of. the boat which has in it an open longitudinal slot 41 through which portion 8 passes. This figure shows how the legs 3 are simply a loosely fitted slotted unit resting on base 4!) and fitted about lower body portion 8. As body 2 moves forwardly and backwardly, as above described, legs 3 follow it and appear to be exerting some force to move the figure. This adds realism to the strutcure and resembles the sliding seat sometimes found in rowing craft.

Steering control, as above-mentioned. results from changing the angle of the boat in the water (see FIG. 5). This may be accomplished by any shift of weight, but is most conveniently done by having frame 25 secured to floor 40 by pivot 26 (see FIGS. 6 and 10) so that it may shift its weight from one side of the boat to the other.

FIG. 10 is a view from the top of. the boat, with the man having been removed, showing the pivot mounting 26 of frame 25 in floor 40. Frame 25 is shown in dotted outline in two different positions under floor 40. If desired. frame 25 may have attached to it an upwardly extending pin 42 passing through a second slot 43 in floor 40*. The child may then take pin 42 and by pushing it from side to side tilt the boat and so steer it. When the pin 42 is in the right hand side of the boat (upper in FIG. 10) the boat will tend to heel to the right which will cause the oar on the right hand side of the boat (the mans left hand) to go deeper into the water and so will cause the boat itself to turn to the left.

When operating the boat a child simply actuates the switch for motor 28, operated by batteries 32'. Motor 28, in operation, rotates the gears of reducing gear train 29 and so rotates rocker disc 30. This causes pin 35 on rocker disc 30 to move about the periphery of rocker disc 30 and so cause motion of. rocker arm 31 both in a reciprocating angular direction, above-described, and reciprocating back and fourth motion in slot 37, also above-described. This causes the motion of body 2 both forward and back and angulating from the vertical with the resulting elliptical motion of the hands 11. These hands 11 are loosely held to the ends of the oars 5 and 6 and because pivoted at oar lock 12 in gunwale 14, the oars themselves move in an elliptical motion. This causes the boat to be rowed with a realistic effect.

If desired, motor 28 may be a reversing motor in which event upon reversing it the boat will be rowed backward.

To steer the boat a child moves pin 42 to one side or the other to give the boat a slight heel or tilt. By moving the pin to the right hand side of the boat the boat will heel to the right because the weight of the frame carrying the motor, gear train and rocker assembly is moved to the right of the center line of the boat. This will cause the boat to turn to the left. Comparably motion of pin 42 to the left of the boat will cause the boat to turn to the righ.

Thus it can be seen that I have provided a toy boat with an oarsman having a mechanical motion that actually rows the boat, and a second realistic action of depressing one oar more deeply than the other that serves to steer the boat.

What is claimed:

1. An actuated toy boat in which a figure rows the boat and the oars steer the boat, including a boat body, a figure mounted in the boat for rowing motion, oars secured to the hands on said figure and pivotally secured to the edge of said boat body, a motor in said body, a linkage to provide an oscillatory elliptical motion to said hands, said linkage being operated by said motor and being operatively associated with said body, whereby operation of said motor and so said linkage will. cause said body to impart a rowing motion to said oars, and means for laterally shifting the center of gravity of said boat body and contents to tilt said boat and thereby cause said oar motion to steer said boat.

2. An actuated toy boat as set forth in claim 1 in which said means for laterally shifting said center of gravity includes a support for said motor and linkage, said support being pivotally secured to said boat for lateral motion of said support, said motor, and said linkage about said pivot.

3. A self actuated toy rowboat supporting a human figure coupled to operate a pair of oars for boat propulsion over the surface of a body of water such as a bathtub and the like comprising:

a waterworthy toy rowboat having a bottom and sides,

a floor mounted to the hull above the boat bottom and a pair of oars pivotally mounted to the sides of the hull,

an actuator for said human figure and mounted in the space between the floor and the boat bottom,

a human figure formed of a main body portion including the head, arms, torso and a lower section and a separate loosely coupled leg body portion, said main body portion being disposed above the floor with the arms oriented to operatively engage the oars for propulsion, said leg body portion being disposed above the floor to impart an apparent seated position of the figure, said lower section extending freely through the floor to operatively couple to the actuator,

said actuator including a motor, a gear train and a linkage associated therewith, said linkage engaging the lower section and producing an oscillatory motion of the main body portion to impart elliptical motion in a generally vertical plane to the arms for oar propulsion and provide a realistic human figure actuated toy rowboat propulsion over the water body surface, and

means for shifting weight laterally in said boat to tilt same, whereby said oars serve to turn said boat.

4. An actuated toy boat as set forth in claim 3 in which said weight-shifting means includes having said frame pivotally secured to said floor for lateral movement about said pivot, whereby said movement of said frame will effect a lateral weight shift in said boat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,961 8/1896 Annin 4693 FOREIGN PATENTS 475,367 10/1952 Italy 46-93 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner 

